Of Gods and Beginnings
by the river lethe
Summary: In which a meeting is held and Giratina finally gets let out of the Distortion World. Goes on to explain a bit of background on the whole scenario, in addition to what happens next. Used to be titled "The Once-In-A-Century God Meeting".
1. The Once-In-A-Century God Meeting

"I'm tired," Kyogre complained, slouching terribly in his plastic chair. (For convenience's sake, most legendaries went to god meetings in human form, as to not attract too much human attention. The last time the meeting was conducted while everyone was in their true forms, a hotshot trainer had noticed and tried to catch Arceus.)

"You've been asleep since I woke you up for the last meeting, how are you possibly tired?" This came from Rayquaza, who had, for some inconceivable reason, purchased an armchair for the meeting instead of the customary cheap foldable. Her posture was, as always, impeccable.

"I woke up in the middle because someone was snoring too loud and shifting the tectonic plates!" He glared accusingly at Groudon. "And then all this rock started digging into my back, and then I woke up and realized that I was hungry. So then I had to swim all the way to Lilycove—you would not believe how hard it was to not be spotted by any trainers—and get some food, but they have literally nothing good to eat there. And so then—"

"Shut up," Groudon growled. "Nobody cares, goldfish."

"What did you just call me?!"

"Goldfish. Got a problem with that?"

"Yes I do, you overgrown lizard!" shouted Kyogre, jumping to his feet. Groudon rose in response, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

"Kyogre! Groudon! Be civil!" Rayquaza shouted, causing half of the other legendaries to draw back involuntarily. The two quickly sat down, but not without exchanging glares.

"Anyways," Arceus said quickly, "We are gathered here today to hear your reports on what has occurred in the past century."

"What?" Jirachi interjected, yawning halfway through the word. "Sorry, just dozed off for a minute there."

Arceus sighed. "I said that we are gathered here to hear your reports on the events of the past century. Dialga, you may start."

"Right," the temporal Pokémon said to himself. "So this wacko dude named… Cypress? Cyrus? I forget—decided to destroy the whole fucking universe—"

"Language!" Kyurem yelled, shaking his useless cane at Dialga. (When questioned, Kyurem claimed that canes were stylish. The popular opinion was that he wanted to look even more like an old man than he already did.)

"Er, whole _flipping_ universe, and for some reason he thought that me and Palkia could do that—which we obviously can't, I mean geez, I guess I could go back to the start of the universe and make sure Arceus didn't do things, but then the timeline would get all screwed up and I would get a horrible paradox headache. So anyways, he managed to capture all of our little pixie friends here—explain that, you three," he said accusatorily, glaring in the general direction of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf.

"Hey, they were smart," Mesprit defended. "And besides, I was bored. I wanted to see what they were doing."

"Same as her," Azelf announced quickly.

Had Uxie's eyes not been closed for fear of accidentally unleashing their power, she would have rolled them. "I simply let myself be captured to see why they had."

Dialga snorted. "Well anyways, he somehow managed to use them to make this weird chain thingy and used it to summon me and Palkia. Which was just so totally rude—I mean, I was just chilling, thinking about stuff, and then poof! I was summoned. So then he used it to control us—which was really rude—but then Giratina showed up! Can you believe it? I haven't seen him in ages! And then he made this big ol' rip in space—how did you like that, Palkia—and broke everything up."

"For your information," Palkia said frostily. "That rift was made with my explicit permission."

"Oh, come on! You were just as far away from your right mind as I was. There's no way you could've done that."

"No, beforehand. I gave Giratina permission to come into the human realm." A mixture of gasps and shocked exclamations followed.

"Order!" Arceus shouted. "Palkia, care to explain to the assembly why you did this?"

"Well, he looked pretty lonely. And, well, I'm sure he wouldn't be doing any harm. Besides, he's a pretty nice guy."

"You have a point, Palkia. In the future, I would rather you consult me before making such a drastic decision," the god of creation commented mildly.

"Of course, Arceus."

"How can you be so calm?!" Cresselia burst out. "You just unleashed an… an ancient monster who can easily destroy reality! I can't believe you!"

"I'm just as dangerous, according to humans," mumbled Darkrai.

"But you have me to balance you out! Darkrai, you're not a threat because I keep you from being one!" (Darkrai grumbled something about not being that threatening on his own, but Cresselia's voice quickly overpowered his.) "Who's there to keep Giratina harmless?"

"Me," Arceus announced suddenly. "As I am sure you all know, I have little else to do. You keep the universe in order quite well. I can easily handle a few visits from Giratina."

Ho-Oh gasped. "But, sir! Such a thing surely isn't proper for you, you are the god of the universe, the Creator—"

"You should know by now that I am your equal. Giratina is nearly as powerful as I am, or at least he was the last time I fought him. At the very least, keeping him under control will alleviate a bit of my boredom."

"But—but he's dangerous. He rebelled back then and is strong enough to mess everything up, how can he be trusted to play nice now?" Ho-Oh glanced around fearfully, as if expecting the ancient god to appear at any moment.

"That was millions of years ago. He's spent quite enough time being cooped up in another dimension, it's time we gave him a chance to redeem himself. Now, can we stop questioning my decisions and get on with this meeting?" Arceus looked around coolly, daring the other legends to say something. They cowered appropriately. "Good. Now, Dialga, as you were saying?"

"Er, okay. Anyways, then this weird human kid showed up. And I was like, okay, what the fuck, why is life not making any sense right now, when can I leave, and then they just hopped into Giratina's voidy thing after the idiot dude and some blonde chick. Then I left because seriously what the fuck. I don't need this shit in my life. I didn't sign up for this. Why does this happen to me— "

"Dialga. Shut up," Palkia groaned. "We don't need another of your famous tangents."

"Says the one who took up the entire meeting three centuries ago babbling about the wonders of human tea!"

"Well, at least I don't stop in the middle of a battle to remark about how dickish Azelf is!"

"Well, he really is, you have to admit!"

"Hey!" yelped Azelf, offended.

"Kids these days," wheezed Kyurem.

Reshiram rolled his eyes. "They're all older than you. I don't think you have any right to call them kids."

"Silence!" boomed Zygarde, their voice echoing around the room. Everyone, including Arceus himself, jumped at the sound of the usually silent legend's voice. "If everyone is so intent on bickering, I would rather leave."

"Guys. Listen to them. Zygarde is scary when they're mad," Yveltal stage-whispered. "Believe me, they will kill us all someday. Mark my words." Xerneas rolled her eyes and whacked her counterpart over the back of his head.

"Really, I agree with Zygarde on this one. You're all being ridiculous." She sniffed. "I was under the impression that we were supposed to be talking here, not arguing over petty things."

Arceus, still seemingly surprised by Zygarde's sudden interjection, attempted to recompose himself. "Ah, yes. Talking. Dialga, is that the end of your report?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. Palkia, have you anything to add to that?"

"No, Arceus. That's about all that happened in Sinnoh this century, and you know we don't like leaving it much."

"Rayquaza, anything to report?"

"Skies are fine. I noticed that the Pidgey population has been rising quite a bit, actually. I wouldn't worry about it, though, it will likely go back to being stable on its own."

"Does anyone have anything to add to that?" After a moment's pause, Arceus continued. "Kyogre, anything to report about the seas?"

"Nah, everything's normal."

"Anyone want to add to that?"

The discussion continued in that fashion for a while, with little to report and Zygarde's intimidating leer preventing arguments. Jirachi fell asleep, as was to be expected (the poor Pokémon was running on sheer willpower alone, lacking the ability to stay properly awake outside of its designated wish-granting week), and the two Mews granted immortality for their help in establishing the Pokémon population leaned together to carry out a whispered conversation.

As Cresselia finished her report on the state of dreams, Arceus cleared his throat loudly. "Well, I believe that wraps up our reports, unless anyone has something to add." No one spoke. "Good. Now, I have decided in the past… Dialga? How much time has passed since the beginning of this meeting?"

"Three hours, fourteen minutes, twenty-one seconds, and six milliseconds exactly," he responded automatically.

"In the past three hours, then, I have decided that it would be appropriate to formally allow Giratina to visit this realm. Palkia, if you'll open a rift?"

Ho-Oh, predictably, started to object. "Really, just letting him in while we're all assembled like this? Are you sure that this is wise— "

"Shut up, you," Lugia said firmly.

"Of course, Arceus," Palkia responded pleasantly. She got up, walked to the center of the room, and held out an arm. A ripple appeared in the air, slowly growing until it reached the ceiling. It tore open like a wound.

"Giratina," Palkia called into the rift. "Arceus would like for you to come into the real world right now. In human form, please, we're indoors."

All the entities in the room held their breaths. Half a minute passed, then a minute. No one exhaled on account of not really needing to breathe.

When exactly one minute and forty-six seconds, on the dot, had passed, a human head finally peered out of the rift.

"Wow," it said. "Why is everyone looking at me?"

"Hello, Giratina," Arceus said calmly.

"Hi Arceus. Wow. Are you going to kill me? Because you look really scary right now. And you never actually say my name when you say hello to me unless you're angry at me. I think. Fuck, I forgot how you talk. Sorry."

"I'm not going to kill you. Calm down."

"Oh. Good." He looked around the room cautiously. "Wow. I can't remember there being so many of us. Oh, hi Kyogre. You look good."

"Long time no see," the sea god offered.

"Yeah. You know, that sounded a lot like a water pun. Don't tell me you still do that."

"Nah, just a coincidence. Stopped doing that five thousand years ago."

"Good, that was annoying. Wow, it's really been that long? Damn. Really lose track of time in there," he said, pointing behind him.

"Actually, it's been two million, three thousand, two hundred and fourteen years. And three months. And two days," Dialga interjected.

"Oh. Wow. That's a long time. By the way, I'm sorry for the whole trying to destroy reality thing. That was really stupid of me. Fuck, I don't think you can forgive me for that. I wouldn't forgive me for that. So… guess I'll just go now. Don't think anyone wants me here. Bye." He turned to leave.

Arceus abruptly rose to his feet, and was next to the exiled god almost immediately. "Giratina, no," he said firmly, grabbing onto the being's arm. "You exist for a reason, and that reason is to govern over destruction. The world is incomplete without your existence. We need you here."

"No, you don't. You've gotten along fine without me, haven't you? Two million years without me, and look at the world. It's in perfect condition. Big, happy, healthy. Whole. Bring me into the equation, and the whole thing gets messed up. More death, more destruction, more work for you guys. Why risk that and more? Just leave me to rot in the Distortion World. That's all I'm really good for, when it comes down to it."

"No, it isn't," Arceus said, voice raising slightly. "Sure, the world is populous and healthy, but it won't be like that forever. Things are still getting created, even now. Remember when we made Xerneas? You saw that too much life with nothing to balance it would end poorly. You made Yveltal. And if it wasn't for that, the world would be overpopulated, unbalanced. We need you to remind us that we need destruction to balance out creation."

"Everyone hates me," Giratina whispered.

"I don't. I never have. And, with work, no one else will either."

"Okay," he said, looking the god of the universe straight in the eyes. "I'll choose to trust you, since I'm lonely and you won't leave me alone until I agree to do what you say. So. What do you want me to do?"

Arceus smiled. "Just stop by whenever you want to. I'll find you when you do."

"Oh. That's simple. Is that it?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I have an easy job. Uh. Bye for now then, I guess. I would rather not have all-powerful beings try to murder me right now. Even though that's somewhat impossible. And I'm also an all-powerful being. My point is that I would rather not deal with that right now. Bye. See you later, I guess."

Arceus let go of his arm, and he walked through the rift. It closed behind him with a soft whomp.

"Well then. That sorts that out. Meeting dismissed, see you here in a century." And with that, Arceus left the room.

"Did that really just happen?" Mesprit asked tentatively.

"Yeah, unless we've both gone insane," Azelf responded.

"I think we've both gone insane. Let's go get treatment for that," she said, standing up. Azelf and Uxie followed her, and then everyone else stood up.

And then everyone left, considerably more astounded than they had been in about five centuries.


	2. Prequel

_Summary: While wandering the streets of Castelia City in human form, Arceus runs into the god he thought he banished for good. A prequel to_ The Once-In-A-Century God Meeting. _Author's_ _notes at the bottom._

* * *

Arceus had to admit that humanity had come quite a long ways. In a million years, they had turned from cave-dwelling creatures, a race ravaged by the vast destruction of Giratina's rebellion, to living in cities and keeping Pokémon as companions. Unova's Castelia City stood as a testament to mankind's advancement, its sprawling streets and massive buildings a monument to engineering and wealth.

That was why Arceus had elected the city for his routine visit to the mortal realm. As the creator of the universe, he found it sensible to walk among his creation routinely, taking the shape of a human or average Pokémon to fit in. The exercise had overall proven interesting, to say the least. (On one notable occasion, he had held a lengthy conversation with a retired Johto champion. The aging woman had guessed his identity halfway through the conversation and called him out on it, making for the most unique conversation he had taken part in for centuries.)

After shapeshifting into his preferred human form—a pale-haired boy aging somewhere around eighteen—Arceus teleported himself into an alleyway in the city. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he took a few tentative steps. Wearing a human body always required some getting used to.

A few minutes later, Arceus stepped out into one of the bustling streets. He suddenly felt very small. His current form was not exactly tall, and the immense buildings towered over him. He abruptly felt thankful that he was not a human living in such a large, frightening world.

He wondered how they ever managed to feel significant. After their inevitable deaths, nearly all humans faded out of memory without leaving a sign that they ever existed. Only a small handful would do something influential enough to be remembered by future generations.

"Impressive, isn't it?" someone suddenly said. Arceus turned to look, and saw another young man with short, dark hair and red eyes.

Even after so long, he definitely recognized that voice. "Giratina?" the god said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, if you think I'm going to destroy the city or anything. I just wanted to see you again."

"But—why are you here? I banished you."

Giratina laughed bitterly. "I've figured out a few things. For one, you happened to overlook the fact that the Distortion World falls under my powers. Creating portals to this dimension is easy for me at this point. I just happened to be wandering around here, and so I saw you. Honestly, Arceus, I would've thought you'd be less sloppy."

The other god turned away. "I knew that. I just didn't think you would want to see me."

"Why wouldn't I? Oh right, you banished me for all eternity to a lifeless wasteland. What a forgiving god you are."

Arceus sighed. "If you're just here to complain, then I'm leaving."

"Wait—no, don't go! Please, I want to talk to you." The Renegade grabbed Arceus's arm desperately, causing him to turn.

"Let go of my arm, Giratina," he commanded, voice rising slightly. Giratina quickly released the appendage.

"Arceus, please. I haven't spoken to anyone worthwhile for centuries."

"And you're saying that I'm worthwhile?"

"Yes. You're the creator of the universe, I'm sure you have something to say."

Despite his misgivings, Arceus soon found himself sitting on the edge of a dock holding a cone of Castelia's world-famous ice cream with Giratina under a foot away. The creation god licked his ice cream thoughtfully, savoring the foreign taste.

"So," Arceus said, breaking the silence. "How has the Distortion World been treating you?"

"It's plain boring, but other than that, it's fine. How's the Hall of Creation been?"

"Fine. Mesprit and Azelf are their usual mischievous selves, but other than that, not much occurs."

There was another long silence.

"…Can I ever come back?" Giratina said abruptly.

"To the Hall of Origin? No."

"Why not? I'm no longer a danger to the universe, as you can see."

"I exiled you forever. I can't just go back on my word like that."

"Why can't you? With some explaining, everyone will know why. And you're god. Nobody questions your word."

"But if I take you back, then I'll be admitting that I was wrong. That gives everyone a reason to doubt me."

"Who would ever doubt you?" The way he said it was strangely innocent.

"You did. You doubted me enough to go directly against my word and try to destroy the universe. Who's to say that no one else will?"

"I don't know. But I won't let them."

Arceus stared. "Why?"

"It's my job to question you. I claimed it that the moment the void spit me out to cling to the edges of your reality."

"But… Giratina, even you can't stamp out a full-blown rebellion."

"Rebellion? Who said anything about that? If you did anything to warrant a rebellion, I would probably be the leader."

Arceus just laughed.

"Huh? What's funny?" Giratina said, bewildered. "I don't get it."

"And that, dear Giratina, was a prime example of what not to say when you're trying to get me to take you back."

More silence. The sun was beginning to set, causing the sky to be stained red and orange. A flock of Swablu, migrating to spend the winter in the warmth of Unova, flew overhead, their cloudy wings reflecting the light of the sun.

"Besides, I don't think they're ready," Arceus said suddenly. "To take you back, I mean. Everyone still thinks that… that you're some monster who will destroy the universe on a whim."

"But I'm not."

"I know that. And I think Dialga and Palkia know that, too. But everyone else, especially the younger ones, don't."

"We can convince them. I can… I don't know. Rescue a human child who fell down a well or something. We'll figure something out."

Arceus smiled sadly. "Things aren't that simple, you know. You can't just jump into a world that's seen you as a menace for thousands of years and expect to be welcomed."

"Then let's make a plan. Bring me up the next time you see everyone else, tell Dialga and Palkia beforehand to get them accustomed to the idea. Have one of them bring it up if you're so afraid of going directly against your word."

"Why do I feel like you've thought about this a lot?"

"Because I have."

Arceus sighed. "I'll think about it."

The Renegade smiled brightly. "I missed you, you know. In an odd way. Logically, I didn't want anything to do with you for the longest time, but something felt… missing, I guess. Like I wasn't completely whole, almost. And now, I don't feel much like that, really. Guess it might have something to do with all that counterpart silliness you were always talking about. Or just the fact that I've known you longer and better than I've known anyone else."

The god smiled, but didn't say anything.

Maybe he did miss Giratina.

He just wasn't sure if he was ready to say that aloud yet.

And… maybe having him back would be good for everyone. After all, Giratina had popped into existence for a reason, and that reason wasn't to rot in the Distortion World for all eternity.

Yes. It would be for the best.

(And then maybe the pit of guilt and regret in his heart would finally seal.)

* * *

 _Author's Note: This was mostly written way before TOIACGM, with a few minor edits after that was written. If it wasn't obvious, Arceus, Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina were all acting for most of TOIACGM, and Palkia's assistance of Giratina there was a lie. More may or may not be addd to this story, depending on a few factors. If I can find the time and motivation, I hope to explore some of the other legendaries a bit more, but the main plot will be centered mostly around Giratina and his reintroduction to the Hall of Origin. Also, please point out any inconsistencies or errors in either of the chapters I have up; I do most of my writing at night when I am very tired, making for some oversights._


	3. The Party: Part 1

_Notes: I finally got back into this universe and polished up this thing to publish it. This is the first part of two, and I have no idea when the second part is coming. Hopefully soon. I also have a completely separate one-shot for this universe in the works, which seems to be getting pretty long. This chapter really isn't my best work, but I decided it was best to just stop fretting over it and leave it be. This is meant to be a continuation of the last two chapters, picking up soon after "The Meeting"._

* * *

Arceus had never been known for eccentric ideas. His daily life seemed to consist of sleeping, making sure that his fellow gods weren't killing each other, and briefly checking to see if the world he created was still in existence. If a person was to make a list of all of the gods based on their tolerance for odd ideas, Arceus would likely be near the bottom.

This was all thrown out the window when Arceus decided that it was necessary to hold a welcome-back party for Giratina.

Everyone thought he was joking. Even though the idea of Arceus joking was odd, it was more believable than him suddenly feeling the need to host parties, which he usually would have found to be somewhat amusing, but overall useless. (That was why Arceus never had birthday parties. The other gods often held them as an excuse to socialize a little, but Arceus always refused to participate.) It was only when Arceus insisted on gathering decorations and gifts that everyone realized he was serious.

The Great God of Creation hosting a welcome-back party. It sounded preposterous, even to a bunch who were used to the Great God of the Sea complaining about the food in Lilycove city.

And so, it was this strange scenario that had forced Uxie, Great Goddess of Wisdom, to go shopping with her two counterparts (because _of course_ they couldn't just conjure up everything they needed, they just _had_ to get the real thing because otherwise it's not "authentic" enough for Rayquaza. Stupid sky snake).

What was the world coming to?

"Hey. Hey Uxie," Mesprit giggled. "How would do I look in this dress?" She held the garment to her chest, as if to show off how it would look on her definitively human body.

"Clothes are an inconsequential part of human culture. Fashion is irrelevant," Uxie replied, finding that, now that she had them in plain sight, it was quite a nice feeling to roll her eyes.

"Oh, come on. You're such a spoilsport," the goddess whined. "Oh well, guess I'll have to ask Azelf. Hey, Azelf!"

Heads turned, staring quizzically at the girl who had just asked for a god. Uxie sighed quietly. If only Mesprit would learn discretion. If the humans somehow realized that they had gods in their midst, the shopping trip would likely come to an abrupt and unfortunate end. And then they'd have to find another department store and go shopping again and again until Mesprit learned to shut her mouth…

"Yeah, Mesprit?" Azelf yelled back from halfway across the store. Uxie inched away from Mesprit, attempting to look as if she had nothing to do with either of them, and that she was very obviously not another god, thank you very much.

"How would this dress look on me?" There was a minute's pause.

Uxie could hear the pattering of feet on the department store floor, slowly performing a crescendo. Uxie desperately hoped that the sound wasn't what she thought it was.

And then Azelf ran into sight. Yes, it was what she thought it was. Wonderful. Uxie wished that she could teleport away without anyone noticing, but everyone in the area was staring at them.

"You better not have knocked anything over," she muttered.

"Of course I didn't, Uxie," he replied. "Have a little faith, will you?" He turned to face Mesprit. "Wonderful, sister! It suits you perfectly."

"Ooh, does it? I wonder how much it is…"

"I do hope you realize that we are _counterparts,_ not siblings, and that using such a term is improper," Uxie reprimanded. "Now. What are we here for, again? Mesprit, we're certainly not here to buy clothes, put that down."

Mesprit rolled her eyes, which were locked on the dress's price tag. "We're practically siblings, Uxie. We look nearly identical. Stop being so stuck-up. And we're here to get party supplies, don't you remember? Ooh, this dress is on sale…"

Uxie chose to let the remark about her being stuck-up pass as to not cause an argument. "Yes, but I do not recall _clothes_ being on the list that Lord Arceus provided us with."

"It's a party _._ Everyone knows you need to wear good clothes to a party."

"Be reasonable. We likely won't even be in these forms," she sniped back, gesturing vaguely at her current body.

"Oh, you're no fun," Mesprit sighed. "Well, what do you suggest we do, then?"

"I suggest we find something that's actually on this list. Let's see… 'food, preferably to the liking of our guest'. Do you happen to know Giratina's tastes? Because I certainly do not."

"Wow, Uxie admitting that she doesn't know something. Amazing," Azelf muttered.

Uxie glared hard.

"Er, I mean no, I don't know, never knew the guy hahaha please stop glaring at me," he said quickly.

"Mesprit?"

"I have no idea. Can we do something else instead?"

Uxie sighed. "No, because if we don't do this, no one will. Come along. There should be food somewhere around here." She began to walk away, hoping that her counterparts would follow.

Mesprit reluctantly placed the dress back onto the rack and hurried after. "Where are we going?"

"The basement. I have a hunch that there will be food down there."

The basement was large, colorful, and lively. Stalls selling various goods were everywhere, their items ranging from poffins to exotic Pokémon. Scents and sounds blanketed the place, and Uxie was overwhelmed the moment she stepped in.

It was also in that moment that she realized she had left Azelf behind.

"Fuck," she said out loud.

"What?" Mesprit asked, looking at the Knowledge Pokémon in concern.

"We left Azelf behind," she responded. "I'll go back for him. Stay here." And with that, she hopped on the escalator and was gone.

Mesprit stared after her for a moment, then looked at the marketplace before her.

She walked forward.

* * *

It took two minutes for Uxie to get back to the floor of the department store where she suspected Azelf was. It took five minutes to get the helpful employees to stop asking her what she was looking for. It took fifteen more to find Azelf, five to convince him to stop examining the clothes and go with her, and three to get downstairs.

When they got to the basement, Mesprit was long-gone.

"Great Lord Arceus, can this get any more ridiculous?" Uxie sighed, barely restraining anger. "I _told_ her not to move, but of course she had to. No one can ever just _behave,_ because of course that would make my life too easy. If only people could just be sensible for once, then—"

"Hi Uxie," Mesprit said.

Uxie stared.

"Thought I'd get the shopping done while you were gone. See, I got these delicious poffins, and some lava cookies, and—"

"Oh, thank Arceus," Uxie said. "Never do that again. Let's go."

"But I didn't even get to buy anything," Azelf piped up.

"Well, that's your loss. Come _on,_ we've been here for hours."

Azelf pouted. "I'm staying here."

Uxie knew better than to argue with the Great God of Willpower. "Fine. Stay here. I'm leaving. _Good-bye."_ She twirled around, gesturing for Mesprit to follow. She cast a longing look at the marketplace, but followed. She knew better than to aggravate an already annoyed Uxie.

* * *

When the two teleported to the Hall of Origin, they were greeted by a dissonant chorus of screeching and small explosions. A large white blur passed through Uxie's field of vision, followed by a black one; she guessed that the pair were Reshiram and Zekrom, arguing as usual. She roughly took the shopping bags from Mesprit and bolted to a table on the edge of the room, praying to Arceus that nothing would hit her. As soon as she set the bags down, the goddess reverted back to her usual form with no small relief. She had always found the land-bound nature of humans restricting.

As soon as she did this, however, a small green body nearly knocked her over. "Sorry!" Celebi yelled behind herself, zipping away. Uxie didn't bother to respond. Chances were that the time travel Pokémon was already in an entirely different time period.

"Sorry for all the chaos," someone said behind her. Uxie turned to see Rayquaza in her human form, decked out in an intricate green dress. Rayquaza had never liked being in her serpent form in enclosed spaces; Uxie suspected that she found it restraining and awkward. Not for the first time, she was thankful for her tiny shape.

Uxie sighed. "It is to be expected at this point. If I hadn't noticed that all our gatherings ended like this, I couldn't call myself the goddess of wisdom."

Rayquaza laughed ruefully. "I suppose you're right. Why Arceus still thinks it's a good idea to have all of us in one place is beyond me. Anyways. Can you help me with the food? As you can see, Shaymin and Victini brought me some earlier, but I still haven't had the chance to get it all out yet."

"Of course."


End file.
